Thursday, July 2, 2015

Blueberry Pecan Galette

".....You ought to have seen how it looked in the rain, the fruit mixed with water in layers of leaves, like two kinds of jewels, a vision for thieves."(Blueberries by Robert Frost) As Independence Day approaches, the proliferation of patriotic themed desserts are appearing in every form of media, making for quite a spectacular food firework show, one undoubtedly causing an unending chorus of 'oohs and aahs'. I generally think of 4th of July desserts as falling into two pyrotechnic categories, 'flaming blazing wonders', ones where you set your chairs or blankets out hours in advance in order to get the best view of the brilliance of colors and designs lighting up the sky, ones so bad ass and beautiful they almost take your breath away. And then there are the 'sparkler lame', the single-dimensional ones over even before they begin, the kind unable to melt either the frosting on a birthday cake or your heart.

There are galettes and then there are galettes. While everyone else is changing up the type of flour in the dough, this one makes baked, coarsely chopped pecans one of the key dough ingredients. This is nothing short of sheer brilliance or rather I should say genius.

With the exception of blueberries and quite possibly the sparkling sugar, you probably already have all of the ingredients in your refrigerator or cabinets if you are someone who likes to bake either regularly or occasionally.

Of course I had to tinker ever so slightly with the filling for the galette. Although there is some cinnamon in the crust, I wanted a hint of that flavor to be in the blueberries as well. With only 1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, adding the zest from a half of a lemon to the blueberries would ever so slightly enhance the citrus flavor of the filling.

A half cup of pecans baked in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for 10-15 minutes, then coarsely chopped in the food processor truly is the game changer in this crust.

Depending on the humidity, the crust comes together with either 3 or 4 Tablespoons of ice cold water. There are at least three ways of making a crust: by hand, in a food processor, or using a combination food processor/by hand method. Using the food processor only method resulted in a beautifully flaky pastry. The key to using a food processor is to pulse not process the ingredients. Epicurious has a great pie crust primer video.

Once the crust is rolled out to a 12" circle, the filling mixture is mounded in the center, leaving a 2" edge.

There should be some overlapping when the edges are folded over the blueberry mixture. Brushing on milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream helps to give the crust that finishing golden color look. The addition of sparkling sugar adds the right amount of sweetness and shimmer.

The galette is baked in a preheated 375 degree (F) oven for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling begins to bubble and ooze.

If for some reason you aren't going to be anywhere near fireworks this year, this Blueberry Pecan Galette served warm or at room temperature with or without some vanilla ice cream will more than make up for it. In fact, you might not even miss them. Okay, you might, especially if you ever have been spoiled by the 'flaming blazing wonder' pyrotechnic experience. If that happens to be the case, there may be no better way to salvage the day than to make and serve this galette.

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ABOUT ME

Welcome! My name is Lynn & I started this blog almost four years ago. I wanted it to be a place for sharing my love of food & photography as well as my random musings. Not only has the blog changed since it first began, but I have as well. Suffice to say we are both a work in progress. I am neither a professionally trained chef/baker nor a photographer. Rather I am someone who loves to cook, bake, entertain & capture as much beauty as I can find through the lens of my camera. I genuinely believe the world would be a much better place if we gathered around the things that connect us. For me, gathering around a table of food made with love, makes meals more memorable & deepens friendships.
The recipes shared here come from a myriad of places. From my extensive cookbook & food magazine collections, from friends & from various media outlets. Yes, some of them are my very own. I am a baker at heart, but this is a place where you will find both sweet and savory recipes. If you are new to this blog, please take some time to go through the Recipe Index. I look forward to sharing things I have learned & inspiring you to bring joy to the people in your life you care for & love.